Britney Spears was forced to cut short a shopping trip to New York after she chased by dozens of fans.

The "Toxic" singer was set to hit a jewellery store in the Big Apple's trendy SoHo neighbourhood on Tuesday.

But the star didn't get a chance to purchase any goods after she was surrounded by passersby who had heard she was due to make an appearance.

Just moments after slipping out of her luxurious Suv, the star was pushed back into the vehicle by her worried security team who couldn't control the swarm of snappers and overzealous fans who were all competing to grab a photo of the star.

Spears is in the city to promote her latest single Womanizer, and told a New York radio DJ earlier this week she is "definitely" planning a world tour for 2009.